Clean eating here I come.....

lemurcat12

Peloton73 wrote: »

When I see someone say they are eating clean, it tells me they are making a conscious effort to eliminate processed foods.

But the point is that a huge variety of foods are processed (pretty much everything we buy in one way or another). If someone is claiming smoked salmon or Greek yogurt is for some reason bad for you and should be eliminated, I think asking why is a fair question.

And as I mentioned above, I am capable of making cheese, although inferior cheese to that I can buy (like I said, I like trying good cheeses, both local and from around the world). Why is the cheese I make (less processed, expect by me) somehow superior to other cheese, from a health standpoint? Obviously, it is not.

So if people want to discuss nutrition, great, let's forget weight loss for the moment and discuss nutrition. I also think it's important. I do not, however, think "clean eating" has much to do with getting good nutrition. For one reason, what you choose to include in your diet as the mainstays seems to me much more important than whether you include a small portion of extras from cheese or ice cream or bread or canned beans or whatever it is that's supposed to be so "unclean." Yet "clean eating" takes the focus off that--probably because it's easier to swear off Oreos than actually think through what a sensible eating plan should be.

lemurcat12

Annr wrote: »

Clean Eating to me is just eating without processed foods in cans or boxes. Bacon is definatly on the list, as I had 2 pieces in a breakfast burrito yesterday. That video of flipping bacon is hypnotic........
Summertime is the best time to start Clean eating, with all the farmers markets etc. "blink"...."flip"....

Doesn't your bacon come in a package? Even the bacon I get from a farm is packaged.

And bacon is better than a burger? On what basis do you make that claim? I source my bacon and ground beef from the precise same farm. The ground beef has macros that are usually easier to fit within my calories. Both are tasty.

Also, why are canned beans or tomatoes "unclean" (and I guess pasta, even whole grain, and that box of Harvest steel cut oats I had a month or so ago) and bacon clean? Sigh, this is precisely why I think "clean eating" is just bunk -- a way of claiming that what you eat is somehow superior than what others eat.

WinoGelato

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Annr wrote: »

Clean Eating to me is just eating without processed foods in cans or boxes. Bacon is definatly on the list, as I had 2 pieces in a breakfast burrito yesterday. That video of flipping bacon is hypnotic........
Summertime is the best time to start Clean eating, with all the farmers markets etc. "blink"...."flip"....

Doesn't your bacon come in a package? Even the bacon I get from a farm is packaged.

And bacon is better than a burger? On what basis do you make that claim? I source my bacon and ground beef from the precise same farm. The ground beef has macros that are usually easier to fit within my calories. Both are tasty.

Also, why are canned beans or tomatoes "unclean" (and I guess pasta, even whole grain, and that box of Harvest steel cut oats I had a month or so ago) and bacon clean? Sigh, this is precisely why I think "clean eating" is just bunk -- a way of claiming that what you eat is somehow superior than what others eat.

Has anyone ever come back to any of your extremely valid examples of why labeling things "processed = bad" is misleading, and commented about whether or not they think Greek yogurt or steel cut oats is in fact bad, or, actually admit that they agree with you?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to the question...

Orphia

"Define clean eating."

"Not processed food."

"Define processed food."

"Natural food."

"Define natural food."

...

It's buzzwords all the way down.

blwasson73

lemurcat12 wrote: »

blamundson wrote: »

I agree with everyone's love of cookbooks. I have hundreds, plus numerous nutrition text books and research journals remaining from school that are now available online. There's so much information out there however, that it can be overwhelming to someone looking for new changes. Often a smaller magazine is a good way to start and expand from there. Figure out what's right for you and no one else! Good luck!

I don't really think a magazine is a good way to start. I'd recommend a website with a decent selection of recipes (I like to recommend epicurious and 101cookbooks, but there are tons), or--ideally--a good started cookbook. My favorite for that purpose is Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything, and I also like vegetable-themed cookbooks for those relatively new to cooking/eating veggies--two good options are the classic Greene on Greens and Barbara Kafka's Vegetable Love, but again there are tons. Seasonal or farmer's market themed cookbooks are also good and often fun because they focus on what's likely to be available/fresh at a particular time of year, but are generally less comprehensive and sometimes more likely to presume some cooking experience.

(I forget who we are actually making recommendations to and if she's said what her cooking background is. OP?)

The original poster was interested in learning more about clean eating. As a nutritionist, I see people every day become overwhelmed with all the choices available via book, Internet, etc. when starting something new. Hopefully the OP now has great ideas to pick from and will find what works for him/her.

lemurcat12

Kruggeri wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Annr wrote: »

Clean Eating to me is just eating without processed foods in cans or boxes. Bacon is definatly on the list, as I had 2 pieces in a breakfast burrito yesterday. That video of flipping bacon is hypnotic........
Summertime is the best time to start Clean eating, with all the farmers markets etc. "blink"...."flip"....

Doesn't your bacon come in a package? Even the bacon I get from a farm is packaged.

And bacon is better than a burger? On what basis do you make that claim? I source my bacon and ground beef from the precise same farm. The ground beef has macros that are usually easier to fit within my calories. Both are tasty.

Also, why are canned beans or tomatoes "unclean" (and I guess pasta, even whole grain, and that box of Harvest steel cut oats I had a month or so ago) and bacon clean? Sigh, this is precisely why I think "clean eating" is just bunk -- a way of claiming that what you eat is somehow superior than what others eat.

Has anyone ever come back to any of your extremely valid examples of why labeling things "processed = bad" is misleading, and commented about whether or not they think Greek yogurt or steel cut oats is in fact bad, or, actually admit that they agree with you?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to the question...

If you were pretty sure it was no, that is correct. :-)

And I actually am quite interested in a real discussion about this, but instead I guess it's easier and more fun to pretend that those who admit to eating processed food (because obviously we all do) are eating Twinkies 24/7.

WinoGelato

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Kruggeri wrote: »

lemurcat12 wrote: »

Annr wrote: »

Clean Eating to me is just eating without processed foods in cans or boxes. Bacon is definatly on the list, as I had 2 pieces in a breakfast burrito yesterday. That video of flipping bacon is hypnotic........
Summertime is the best time to start Clean eating, with all the farmers markets etc. "blink"...."flip"....

Doesn't your bacon come in a package? Even the bacon I get from a farm is packaged.

And bacon is better than a burger? On what basis do you make that claim? I source my bacon and ground beef from the precise same farm. The ground beef has macros that are usually easier to fit within my calories. Both are tasty.

Also, why are canned beans or tomatoes "unclean" (and I guess pasta, even whole grain, and that box of Harvest steel cut oats I had a month or so ago) and bacon clean? Sigh, this is precisely why I think "clean eating" is just bunk -- a way of claiming that what you eat is somehow superior than what others eat.

Has anyone ever come back to any of your extremely valid examples of why labeling things "processed = bad" is misleading, and commented about whether or not they think Greek yogurt or steel cut oats is in fact bad, or, actually admit that they agree with you?

I'm pretty sure I know the answer to the question...

If you were pretty sure it was no, that is correct. :-)

And I actually am quite interested in a real discussion about this, but instead I guess it's easier and more fun to pretend that those who admit to eating processed food (because obviously we all do) are eating Twinkies 24/7.

Right. I'd love to see that discussion take place as well. Until then, I guess I better get back to my uber processed breakfast of Greek yogurt and coffee. Don't want my body to go into withdrawals since it has been 12 hours since my last fix.

Annr

I admit, I have a LONG way to go to eat "clean". I also realize that when I make a burger at home, with lean meat, (at least it says lean) and put what I wish to put on a burger, my body doesn't give me grief. Its when I eat a burger from McDs, or Burgerking that it tends to upset me. I think the only true way to understand "clean" eating is if you lived off the grid, and even then some of the food stuffs are processed. I just try to eat "simple"...where the ingredients aren't a mile long, and eat more food regionally meaning that they didn't have far to travel to get to me. Sad to state, unless people are willing to go shopping every other day, food is going to be pumped with preservatives and additives to make its shelf life longer.